Earlier this year the Federal Health Committee responded to Motion 47, the motion put forward by MP Arnold Viersen to study the public harms of pornography. Motion 47 was passed last year unanimously in the House of Commons. This motion had a lot of promise, and we were excited about what would result. As we reported earlier this year, the response from the Health Committee was absolutely inadequate, and betrayed a serious lack of concern on the part of the government about the issue of pornography and its impacts on Canadians – particularly children. It is frustrating that our secular culture’s only response to moral issues seems to be in language of sexual expression, and they seem unable to analyze this issue from the moral perspective of the real and actual harm to the men, women, or children involved.

The government seems to believe it has no responsibility to protect our children from the impact of accidentally viewing violent pornography at an early age. We go to extremes to protect our children from being unduly influenced by tobacco and alcohol products, but when it comes to the impact of viewing violent pornography, the government acts as if our children’s innocence is not of importance. Earlier this week there was an episode at the Ottawa Public Library that was reported on in the media of a man watching hard-core pornography on a library computer while children and other patrons were nearby, and the library disclosed that it was his right to do so. Read the full story here.

Hope for the Sold, the organization that put together the documentary Over 18, has created a great new infographic in response to the M-47 report. Click here for a full-sized version.

Set up a meeting with your MP, your local MLA or MPP, or even a municipal politician and use this infographic as a means to explain to them the dangers these materials pose. If an adult is not allowed to smoke in an enclosed space with a child, why isn’t the same applicable for pornography exposure, which is also extremely harmful?

Ask your representative to take this infographic to their caucus, and to challenge the government on this report. Go to Easy.ARPACanada.ca for our pre-drafted letter on responding to M-47. You can also call your MP to express you concerns. Let them know this issue is not one to be trifled with and that we need to get this done right the first time.

Thank you.